Missouri Factory Worker Dies After Tragic Accident at Cereal Plant
A tragic incident at a Missouri cereal manufacturing plant has left a longtime employee dead after he became trapped in an industrial oven.
Authorities say the accident occurred at the Gilster-Mary Lee Cereal Plant in Perryville, located roughly 80 miles southeast of St. Louis. The Perryville Police Department reported that emergency crews were dispatched to the plant around 3 p.m. on June 26 following a call about “a male stuck in an industrial oven that was shut down.”
Despite rapid response efforts from police, emergency medics, and the Perryville Fire Department, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Perry County Coroner Meghan Ellis arrived shortly after at 3:25 p.m.
The victim was identified as 38-year-old Nicolas Lopez Gomez, a Guatemalan national who, according to authorities, had been working under the name Edward Avila.
At this time, the exact circumstances leading to the fatal accident remain unclear. The cause of death has not been released. Coroner Ellis confirmed that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified and will be conducting an investigation into the incident.
“Our offices will work with them to determine how this occurred,” Ellis said in a statement.
The company issued a statement expressing condolences and confirming that the employee had been with the company for nine years. According to a report from CBS News, Gilster-Mary Lee stated that the worker “was fatally injured in a cereal drying system that was out of service.”
“He will be greatly missed, and the company extends its sincere sympathies and condolences to his family, friends and coworkers,” the company said. Gilster-Mary Lee also noted it is cooperating with OSHA and launching its own internal investigation.
Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation operates 11 manufacturing plants across Missouri and Illinois, producing a wide range of private label and food service products.